The Kneeling Christian

By Hendrickson Publishers

Prayer, although an essential ingredient of the Christian experience, remains mysterious and foreign to many Christians. Realizing this, a well-known (but anonymous) Christian wrote this volume to teach Christians about the power available to them through prayer. According to The Kneeling Christian, all real growth in the spiritual life—all victory over temptation, all confidence and peace in the presence of difficulties and dangers, all repose of spirit in times of great disappointment of loss, all habitual communion with God—depends upon the practice of secret prayer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
• Release date: May 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781598569681

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The Kneeling Christian (eBook edition)

© 2006, 2013 Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC

P. O. Box 3473

Peabody, Massachusetts 01961-3473

eBook ISBN 978-1-59856-968-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

All Scripture quotations are from the American Standard Version unless otherwise noted. References to the RV are to the 1881 (English) Revised Version of the King James Bible, not the later RSV (Revised Standard Version, 1946).

In Bible references, marginal readings (alternate translations) are indicated by marg. after the reference.

Due to technical issues, this eBook may not contain all of the images or diagrams in the original print edition of the work. In addition, adapting the print edition to the eBook format may require some other layout and feature changes to be made.

First eBook edition — June 2013

CONTENTS

Copyright

Preface

Author’s Preface

1. God's Great Need

2. Almost Incredible Promises

3. Ask of Me and I Will Give

4. Asking for Signs

5. What Is Prayer?

6. How Shall I Pray?

7. Must I Agonize?

8. Does God Always Answer Prayer?

9. Answers to Prayer

10. How God Answers Prayer

11. Hindrances to Prayer

12. Who May Pray?

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PREFACE

HENDRICKSON CHRISTIAN CLASSICS EDITION

Imagine a best-selling book whose author has no name. Consider the publisher’s quandary: no high-profile author with his own media empire. No big-bucks marketing budget, no author tour, no magazine covers, no interviews, nothing. Nothing but a great book that people like—a book that changes lives—a book they tell their friends about. That is this book.

In stark contrast to the cult of celebrity that surrounds books published today, The Kneeling Christian is ascribed simply to Anonymous or An Unknown Christian—no name and few clues. Most readers never know anything about the author of this international best-seller, a slim primer on the life of prayer.

Based on the book itself as it was originally published, we know little about the author of this classic from the early twentieth century. The book itself reveals a few facts: the author seems to be male, British, Anglican, and writing at a mature age. The book was written between the two World Wars, in the 1920s or early thirties. The author doesn’t mention a spouse or family life. He is well versed in Scripture and in religious biography and devotional literature. He seems to be in the know, in terms of contemporary religious personage. His preface says this book was written by request—but based on the text, it’s not clear that he is a cleric.

In fact, the records of the British Library tell us that the Unknown Christian was an Anglican clergyman named Albert Ernest Richardson, who was born around 1868. He was educated at the University of Oxford, ordained as a priest in 1897, and in 1898 he was accepted as a missionary and left for the Hausaland Mission in Africa. (Hausaland straddled today’s nations of Nigeria and Niger.) He returned to England in 1900, only to turn around in 1903 and go out again, this time to serve in Bombay, India, until 1905. Following his return from India, Richardson’s passion for evangelism was channeled into his career with the Church Army, a society of evangelists with the Anglican Communion. Then he began publishing his writings in 1921. The Kneeling Christian was his second book.

The Kneeling Christian welcomes novice and veteran Christian alike to answer God’s invitation into the life of prayer. The disciples asked Jesus, Lord, teach us to pray; so do we as well. The author understands and addresses our fears and concerns, encouraging us to embrace wholeheartedly the instructions of Jesus: If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (NLT). And with such encouragement, with such a warm welcome, can we resist?

The author punctuates his teaching with memorable wisdom, such as,

We are never so high as when we are on our knees.

If we ask and God does not give, then the fault is with us.

True prayer never goes unanswered.

But these bold statements shouldn’t be taken out of context of the whole work, in which the author explores Scripture, including a compelling discussion of Jesus’ sevenfold invitation to pray found in John 14–16. He draws the reader along with engaging anecdotes set in broad international settings, revealing a passion for missions and evangelism and the intercessory prayer that is the foundation for effective ministry. The result is a tender and loving invitation into a living and vital relationship with the Living God—an invitation to prayer issued to us throughout Scripture and the ages by God himself.

————

The Kneeling Christian closes with this challenge:

Prayer is our highest privilege, our gravest responsibility, and the greatest power God has put into our hands. Prayer, real prayer, is the noblest, the sublimest, the most stupendous act that any creature of God can perform.

May we all enter into the joy of prayer.

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AUTHOR’S PREFACE

A traveler in China visited a heathen temple on a great feast-day. Many were the worshipers of the hideous idol enclosed in a sacred shrine. The visitor noticed that most of the devotees brought with them small pieces of paper on which prayers had been written or printed. These they would wrap up in little balls of stiff mud, and fling at the idol. He [the visitor] inquired the reason for this strange proceeding, and was told that if the mud ball stuck fast to the idol, then the prayer would assuredly be answered; but if the mud fell off, the prayer was rejected by the god.

We may smile at this peculiar way of testing the acceptability of a prayer. But is it not a fact that the majority of Christian men and women who pray to a Living God know very little about real prevailing prayer? Yet prayer is the key which unlocks the door of God’s treasure-house.

It is not too much to say that all real growth in the spiritual life—all victory over temptation, all confidence and peace in the presence of difficulties and dangers, all repose of spirit in times of great disappointment or loss, all habitual communion with God—depend upon the practice of secret prayer.

This book was written by request, and with much hesitancy. It goes forth with much prayer. May He who said, Men ought always to pray, and not to faint,—teach us to pray.

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CHAPTER 1

God’s Great Need

God wondered. This is a very striking thought! The very boldness of the idea ought surely to arrest the attention of every earnest Christian man, woman, and child. A wondering God! Why, how staggered we might well be if we knew the cause of God’s wonder! Yet we find it to be, apparently, a very little thing. But if we are willing to consider the matter carefully, we shall discover it to be one of the greatest possible importance to every believer on the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else is so momentous—so vital—to our spiritual welfare.

God wondered that there was no intercessor (Isa. 59:16)— none to interpose’ (RV, marg.[1]). But this was in the days of long ago, before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ full of grace and truth—before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, full of grace and power, helping our infirmity, himself making intercession for us and in us (Rom. 8:26). Yes, and before the truly amazing promises of our Savior regarding prayer; before men knew very much about prayer; in the days when sacrifices for their sins loomed larger in their eyes than supplication for other sinners.

Oh, how great must be God’s wonder today! For how few there are among us who know what prevailing prayer really is! Every one of us would confess that we believe in prayer, yet how many of us truly believe in the power of prayer? Now, before we go a step farther, may the writer most earnestly implore you not to read hurriedly what is contained in these chapters. Much—very much—depends upon the way in which every reader receives what is here recorded. For everything depends upon prayer.

Why are many Christians so often defeated? Because they pray so little. Why are many church-workers so often discouraged and disheartened? Because they pray so little.

Why do most men see so few brought out of darkness to light by their ministry? Because they pray so little.

Why are not our churches simply on fire for God? Because there is so little real prayer.

The Lord Jesus is as powerful today as ever before. The Lord Jesus is as anxious for men to be saved as ever before. His arm is not shortened that it cannot save: but he cannot stretch forth his arm unless we pray more—and more.

We may be assured of this—the secret of all failure is our failure in secret prayer.

If God wondered in the days of Isaiah, we need not be surprised to find that in the days of his flesh our Lord marveled. He marveled at the unbelief of some—unbelief which actually prevented him from doing any mighty work in their cities (Mark 6:6).

But we must remember that those who were guilty of this unbelief saw no beauty in him that they should desire him, or believe on him. What then must his marvel be today, when he sees amongst us, who do truly love and adore him, so few who really stir themselves up to take hold of God (Isa. 64:7). Surely there is nothing so absolutely astonishing as a practically prayerless Christian? These are eventful and ominous days. In fact, there are many evidences that these are the last days in which God promised to pour out his Spirit—the Spirit of supplication—upon all flesh (Joel 2:28). Yet the vast majority of professing Christians scarcely know what supplication means; and very many of our churches not only have no prayer-meetings, but sometimes unblushingly condemn such meetings, and even ridicule them.

The Church of England, recognizing the importance of worship and prayer, expects her clergy to read prayers in Church every morning and evening.

But when this is done, is it not often in an empty church? And are not the prayers frequently raced through at a pace which precludes real worship? Common prayer, too, often must necessarily be rather vague and indefinite.

And what of those churches where the old-fashioned weekly prayer-meeting is retained? Would not weakly be the more appropriate word? C. H. Spurgeon[2] had the joy of being able to say that he conducted a prayer-meeting every Monday night which scarcely ever numbers less than from a thousand to twelve hundred attendants.[3]

My brothers, have we ceased to believe in prayer? If you still hold your weekly gathering for prayer, is it not a fact that the very great majority of your church members never come near it? Yes, and never even think of coming near it. Why is this? Whose fault is it?

Only a prayer-meeting—how often we have heard the utterance! How many of those reading these words really enjoy a prayer-meeting? Is it a joy or just a duty? Please forgive me for asking so many questions and for pointing out what appears to be a perilous weakness and a lamentable shortcoming in our churches. We are not out to criticize—far less to condemn. Anybody can do that. Our yearning desire is to stir up Christians to take hold of God, as never before. We wish to encourage, to enhearten, to uplift.

We are never so high as when we are on our knees.

Criticize? Who dare criticize another? When one looks back upon the past and remembers how much prayerlessness there has been in one’s own life, words of criticism of others wither away on the lips.

But we believe the time has come when a clarion call to the individual and to the Church is needed—a call to prayer.

Now, dare we face this question of prayer? It seems a foolish query, for is not prayer a part and parcel of all religions? Yet we venture to ask our readers to look at this matter fairly and squarely. Do I really believe that prayer is a power? Is prayer the greatest power on earth, or is it not? Does prayer indeed move the Hand that moves the world?

Do God’s prayer-commands really concern me? Do the promises of God concerning prayer still hold good? We have all been muttering Yes, yes, yes as we read these questions. We dare not say No to any one of them. And yet . . .

Has it ever occurred to you that our Lord never gave an unnecessary or an optional command? Do we really believe that our Lord never made a promise which he could not, or would not, fulfill? Our Savior’s three great commands for definite action were:

Pray

Reviews for The Kneeling Christian

[atdcross · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I hate to give it just two stars, but I wasn't very insightful; it just covered the same grounds as many other books on prayer that covered the basics. It did have quite a few interesting quotes and a few testimonies. I'd recommend it for someone starting in the Christian life.